Grapple



Patented Sept. 14,y 1943 '1 `IPietsch,V Gary,xlnd.','assignor to In 'land-Steel Company, Chicago, Ill., Aa corpora lionL ,ot ,Delaware l Apiieationnpril 22, 1942, serial Nb. 439,996

invention relates vto grapplesl'foruse more particularly in the moving of relatively. heavy ob-y zaolaims. (o1, cai-fior) o o l `hook 6 with its terminal end Vr`o'fizvedge shape as `jects from'one position .toanother, as for eX- i ample', and :more especiallyythe -hinged ends of gondola cars. y l

' 4In connection ith the use, ofr my invention as 'f'applie'd to the r hinged endsof gondola cars, it

5 may be stated thatit is the'common practice of I railroads* to deliver sucncars in empty condition, with the car ends swung down onto the floors 'of 'the cars,j requiringthat thev one receiving the cars swing'f-tlie car end s, whioh are heavy, into vertic'alpositionto close the cars prelimi- I 'nary to vload-ing, this operation in accordance with previous practice being a vsource of trouble and injury to the workmen,Y j e e '"1 -O-ne of my `objects i to-providea construction of grapple wherebytheoperation'of moving an object,` partic'ularlyithe swinging of a yhinged car -end tofclbsed'position, maybe effected without f danger to the workmen.

` 'Another object is to" provideafgsimple andeconomicalccnstruction ofgrapple which will 'be of relativ-ely light weightfand Vbe'jpositive in its action. Y'

yAnotherobject is to prov-idea construction of LA'grapple whichniaybeusedwith objectsof differ- .'entl thickness 'and of different A-rna'teria'l's l Another obj-ect is to provide a. highly eiectivel construction of grapple whichfrnay be vreadily Vmanually manipulated to release itwfrom the ob- ='1jec.t. i i Y Another .object is to provide a yconstruction of grapple byywhichfa carV end may be -to closed position without requiringthe prying of the oary `end VAbyv a ibar Ythereby* .avoiding injury to Vthe workmen from slippage o `the bar; and `other azobjects as will be manifestifromthev following description..

Referring to the accompanying drawing: Figure 1 isa View in longitudinal sectional elevation of one end of a gondola car showing my improved grapple applied to the hinged car end for swinging it to the raised position shown by dotted lines.

` Figure 2 is a fragmentary sectional view taken at the irregular line 2'-2 on Fig. l and v iewed in the direction of the arrows; and l Figure 3 `a similar view taken at theI line 3 on Fig. l and viewed in the direction of the arrow.

Referring to the particular illustrated construction of grapple it comprises a member 4 shown as of yoke form one of the legs of which, represented at 5 and shown as straight, being provided in the form of an inwardly extending shownjat'jand the other les representedat 3 being Ibi'furcatecl v`as represented at,9,. o

The grapple alsoomprsesaleyer `Il) having dii/erging' end portions. Il and I.2, andan intermediate portion presenting anlarcuate laterally extending com.. I4."

,The leverk l Vis locatedin'thebifurated p0r- `tion -9 ,of the member and is pivoted therein .by .pivot pin l positioned i;rithe4 outer end of, the

leg 8 of the yoke. member. 4 and inthe lever Lll at therrjuncture of the divergingportions ll and )1'2 ofithelever l0, the pin l5. .being so positioned vthat the vcam surface Ul of the rlever lis .disposes. eccentric of this pin.

',fEte'feIring now to theconstruction ofthe car ,structureshowngand to which, by way of example, my improved grapple isillustrated as ,ap- 1 ,pliedv to raiselthe carenti, it comprises, inmacvconfiance' with'l a Well known design,..a floor li,

"longitudinal side walls, oneioi. which is vshown lat" H andjhinged end-walls onebeingshown at t8, thecar s hovm being of a type formed of metal whereinithe hinged carends L8, are each yformed of ayiramehaying upper Aand lower sills I9 and '29, respectiyelnaid; a DanelloortonZl llnfgf *thesarne. 1 v

Vswingfrom the L` open "position (shown by full ylines in l) Atothe closed, substantiallyyerti- Vcal,position"sliiownby dotted lines in this figure, the hinging'rmeans' shown andproyided foreach ca-r end andrepresentative of a., common construction comprising a plurality of strap-'loops l (fone of `which is shown at 22) secured at v inter- -vals to the bottom f-sill Zgand llil-bolts (one of which V.is shown'at)V carried bythe vfloor I6 and looped .through the strap-loops 2,2, sulicient play or-theU-boltsbeing provided for lto, permit'ft'he ;.car lends `to swing into and outof closedn position Without obstruction. The location of the strap f loops 22 is such as shown, and which is common practice, that the axis about which the car end swings is disposed inwardly of the face of the car end considering the latter as in closed position as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1 and thus the car end is moved at the end of its closing movemennby gravity to its inal closed position in which it becomes latched in place in accordance withcommon practice.

In the use of the grapple its hook end is inserted between the sill I9, near its center, and the iioor I6 of the car, to theposition shown by full lines in Fig. l, the yoke member 4 being struck a slight hammer blow or other pressure applied, if necessary, to position the grapple as stated, in which position of the parts the edge portion of the car end is straddled by the yoke member 4, and the hook 6 extends inwardly of the inner edge of the sill I9. y

In practice the grapple would be associated with hoisting means, such as for example a crane or block and tackle mechanism, to the hook of which, shown at 24, the outer endyofvthe arm I2 of the lever I0 would be connected, as for example, by a cable 25 looped over the hook f24`f-'limit it thereto as the same may be variously and through a clevis 26 pivoted to the lever Il).

The grapple while shown as used with a car end of metal may be used equally well with a car end made of wood, as the pressure applied by the cam I4 will cause the nose 6 of the hook to gouge into the wood and afford the same position coupling action as in the case of its use on a metal car end.

' While I have illustrated and described a particular construction embodying my invention I do not wish to be understood as intending to modified and altered and the invention embodied The lifting action of the hoisting means swings' the lever I0 counterclockwise in Fig. 1 thereby rotating the cam I4 againstthe car end and` clamping the latter between the cam and the leg 5 of member 4 thussecurely locking the grapple to the car end.

After the grapple has been lifted about 12 to 18 the hoisting mechanism would be moved to the left in Fig. 1, while continuing to be raised, for swinging the car end to Closed position. v

`As will be noted, the grapple once applied to Athe car rend is held in place thereon throughout the movement of the car end to closed'position, the hook 6 preventing the grapple from slipping oif the car end, thereby freeing the workmen of danger from 4injury as after pressure isk applied by the hoisting mechanism to the grapple there is no need. ofa workman holding or guiding the car end to closed position. Y

In this connection it may be stated that the lever-arm II is preferably of such weight that at least during the iinal portion of the movement,

of the grapple for moving the car end to closed position it will continue to force the cam I4 toward the hook 6 and prevent premature release of the grapple from the car end even during the releasing of pressure applied to the lever I0 by the hoisting means, as for example inthe linal.`

gravity-closing movement of the car end, the

grapple being readily released by the workman by swinging the lever I0 in clockwise direction.

It is desirable that means be provided for norvmally holding the lever I0 and yoke member 4 from swinging on each other when the grapple is not in use and while being moved from one location to another, particularly to avoid injury to the workmen, a desirable formvof means for this purpose being a pin not shown which may be inserted into holes in the lever IU and member 4 which register with each other in one position of these parts. Preferably these holes represented at 21 and 28k are so disposed as shown that they register with each other when the grapple is in the application of the grapple toan object to be i shifted.

in other forms of structure without departing from the spirit of my invention.

ends to the other of said members and having a f cam portion which, when said lever is swung in one direction, moves toward the object to conneet the grapple at the cam portion and at the other of said members with the object, said cam portion when said lever is swung in the opposite ,direction vmoving away from the object to release the object, said lever having an arm which in the substantially horizontal straddling position of the grappleV on an object inclines upwardly from said pivot atthe side thereof at which said cam portion is located and exerts force tending to force said cam portion against the object in said last referred to `position of the grapple and throughout the movement of the grapple to substantially vertical straddling position.

2. A grapple for use in shifting an article from horizontal to upright position comprising an angle member formed with an article-engaging arm and a lever-carrying arm at substantially right angles and with the extremity of the latter arm Vdeflected to overhang the space included vin the angle; an integral Cam and lever member pivoted to said angle member adjacent said extremr`clamping lever extending from said pivot toward ksaid lever-carrying arm and a release lever extending from said pivot away from said levercarrying arm; and a lip projecting from said article-engaging arm to engage an edge portion of the article to prevent premature disengagement'.

3. The combination of claim 2 with said lever carrying arm and -said clamping lever formed with openings in positions to register in open position of the grapple for reception of a locking pin.

- LEONARD C. PIETSCH. 

